Joint for electric conductors and other wires.



.No. 831,548. PATENTED SEPT. 25, 1906. A. FLEBGER. JOINT FOR ELECTRIC GONDUOTORS AND OTHER WIRES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 18, 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

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PATENTED SEPT. 25, 1906.

A. FLEEGER.

JOINT FOR ELECTRIC GONDUGTORS AND OTHER WIRES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 18. 1905.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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Witt wane:

Z WWLL AUSTIN FLEEGER, I OF CH ICORA, PENNSYLVANIA.

com-r FOR ELECTRIC GONDUCTORS AND OTHER Specification of Iietters Patent.

-WIRES."

Patented Sept. 25, 1906.

Application filed August 18, 1905- Serial No. 274,701.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, AUsTIN FLnnGEn,a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicora, in the county of Butler and State of Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Joints for Electric Conductors and other Wires, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompan 'ng drawm s.

This invention relates to joints for electric conductors and other wires, and has for its object to provide a simple and efficient means for quickly and firmly unitin the ends of such conductors or wires and ho ding them thus united While under tension.

The invention is in the nature of an improvement upon the construction set forth in Letters Patent of'the United States,'granted to me December 12, 1905, No. 806,789. In that application there isset forth a con-- struction 1n which the ends .of the wires are provided with enlarged terminal portions which may be interlocked or intertwisted, said ends being inclosed in a sleeve of ductile metal which is swaged down upon them at its ends. This joint requires special preparation of the ends of the wires and also requires the use of a swaging-tool at the place where the joint is formed.

It is the object of my present invention to do away with the necessity of using a swaging-tool during the operation of uniting the ends of the wires and to dispense with the necessity of specially preparing the ends of the wires, so that the ends of the wires may be united b the, mere act of inserting'them in the coup ing device, while at the same time the ends of the'wires lying within the coupling device are entirely'inclosed and protected, the coupling device being formed in a sin gle piece without any separable joints of any kind and without any openings except those through which the wires enter.

To these ends my invention consists in certain novel features which I will now proceed to describe and will thenparticularly point out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawin s, Fi ure 1 is a perspective view of the coup ing-s eeve in its original or first condition before being swaged down. Fig. 2 is an elevation of a completed joint. Fig. '3 is a longitudina. sectional view of what is shown in Fig. 2, illustrating one embodiment of m invention. Fig. dis a view similar to Fig. 3, i

modified form of my invention. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail perspective view of one set of the gripping-jaws shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a detail sectional view of the same, taken on the line no :v-of Fig. 5 and looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 7 is a similar view taken on the line 1 y of Fig. 5 and looking in the direction of the arrows. Fig. 8 is a view similar to Fig. 3, illustratin yet another modification. Fig. 9 is an en arged detail view of one set of the gripping-jaws shown in Fig. 8 in the form which is given to it before its inse'rtion into the coupling-sleeve; and Fig. 10 is a detail sectional view of the same before it is given the form shown in Fig. 9.

My present invention contemplates the employment of a sleeve of ductile metal-such as brass, copper, steel, or iron-'which in its original form is preferably a cylindric tube of equal diameter throughout its length, said sleeve having no lateral openings and being imperforate, the only opening being the longitudinal one eXtendin through it from end to end. Within this sleeve are placed gripping devices, and the ends of the sleeve are then swaged or frusto-conical form, both interna externally, until the openings at the ends of the sleeve are, of a size correspondin with that of the'wire to which they are to e ap plied. These openings are of less diameter than, the gripping devices, so that the gri ping devices are permanently held within t e sleeve, and the tapering or outwardly-converging walls of the ends of the sleeve cooperate with the gripping devices when these latter are moved outward by the tension on the wires with which they are engaged, thereby causing said gripping devices to firmly grip and hold the ends of the wires, the intensity of their gripping action being proportionate to the strain on the wires and mcreasing as said strain increases. k

Referring first to that form of my invention illustrated more particularly in Fi s. 1, 2, and 3, 1 indicates .a hollow sleeve or tu e of brass or other ductile conducting metal. In its original form (shown in Fig. 1) said sleeve is a cyhndric tube of equal diameter throughout its length. tion, I insert therein a plurality of angular bodies 2 (shown in Fig. 3) these angular bodies being of any suitable materia such as steel, brass, copper, or iron'-and being sufficiently small to have free play withinthe When the sleeve is in this condidown to ive them a ta erin 23 ll and lustrating a l sleeve, their sharp angular edges being adapted to form gripping-teeth which act in the manner hereinaften described. After. these 1 by constructing a special size of sleeve for each size of wire.

. the bodies are The coupling device is then complete and ready for use, it 'beingunderstood that the gripping bodies are of greater diameter than the end. apertures 4 of the sleeve after it has been swaged down, so that permanently retained within the sleeve and the sleeve is entirely closed, exceptfor the end apertures, to receive the wires, its body beingwithout separable joint or union'of any kind. The wires to be united are indicated'by the reference-numeral 5, and

their union is effected by holding the sleeve in avertical position and inserting one of the wires through the aperture in the lower end thereof. Afterthis wire has' thus been inserted'to a sufficient distance the wireis drawn slightly outward or backward, whereupon some of the angular bodies which constitutethe gripping devices will become wedged in between the wire and the tapering wallxof the sleeve and'will firmly grip and hold the wire, increasing their grip as-the pull on the wire increases. When oneof the wires has been thus engaged, the sleeve is inverted and those of the gripping-bodies which are free will fall to what is now the lower end of by the mere act of as the the sleeve, and the other wire is then inserted anden aged or gripped in the same manner first wire. The sleeve is then released and the tension on the two wires holds them ped within the. sleeve. It will be noticed t at 'theends of the wires are entirely inolosed 'andiprotected, there being no openings in the sleeve except the end openings which are closed by the wires 5. It will also be noted that. the uniting of the wires is efiected in a very simple manner, there beiugno screw-joints or other connectionswhich require manipulation, the wires being gripped inserting them with the sleeve-in proper position, and thesleevehavslack b'ydrawmg the seas to permit the sleeve to be turned to an '60 mg acontinuousimperforate bodyformed in asingle iece. The release of the wires may be readi y effected by either gaining enough wires toward each other onbycutting onev of the wires near the sleeve upright orinclined position, whereupon each wiremay be releasedby pushing it downward and inward into the sleeve until the gripping devicesrelease theirhold and drop soas to free the wire.

- The fundamental idea of J the invention is sleeve set of gripping-jaws,

, ment of the wire.

jaws, ed off as to act as a'hinged connection be-' the employment of a continuous or imperforate sleeve into which the gripping devices are first inserted, after which the endsof the are swaged down to the tapering form described.

The form and structure of the gripping devices may be modified, and although I prefer the form which 'I have just described and have illustrated other forms of gripping devices. In Figs. 4 to 7, inclusive, the gripping devices consist of two sets of gripping-jaws, one for each end of I the tube, which are introduced while the sleeve is still in its cylindric form and which are held therein by the swaging down of the ends of the sleeve. In this construction each one of which is shown in detail in Figs. 5, 6, and 7, comprises two jaws 6, the two when assembled being frusto-conical in shape, so that each is substantially in the form of a half of a cone divided axially- Each jaw has a" longitudinal groove 7 on its inner face provided with teeth 8, so constructed as to permit the wire to move inward and to engage with and prevent outward move These jaws correspond in taper with the ends of the sleeve when swaged down, so far as their main 'or body portions are concerned, their inner extremities being preferably tapered in the opposite direction, as indicated at 9. In order to maintain them in proper relation'to each other and'at the same tion each in their movements toward and from other, I provide one of the jaws with notches or recesses 10 in its inner face, the other jawhaving corresponding ribs 11, whichseat in the notches 10 and prevent in dependent longitudinal movements of the while the notches and ribs are so roundtween the jaws. The rever'setaper of the inner end of each set of aws permits this hinging or pivotal motion, said inner end being substantiallythe same diameter as the interior of the sleeve.- After the coupling device has been completed by the insertion of the grippingjaws and the swaging down of the ends of the sleeve the wires to be united are inserted through the ends of the sleeve and between the gripping-j aws of each set, whereupontension on the wires to draw them outward willcause the teeth of the gripping-jaws to engage the wires, and said jaws will be drawn into the tapering ends of the sleeve and will be thereby forced firmly into 1 engagement with the wires, their grip increasing with the pull of thewires. J

In Figs..,8, 9-,: and 10 I haveilhistrated another form of gripping-jaws in which each set of jaws is made in a single piece of'resilient material, being so arranged as to tendto grip the'wires assoon as the wires enter between the jaws. In'this construction eaehset'of gripping-jaws consists of a body 12, having a time give them a pivotal or hinged rela -in Fig. 9, until they are separated by and swaging down operation is similar to longitudinal aperture 13 for the passage of the Wire and slotted, as indicated at 14, to form toothed jaws 15, which taper outwardly toward the point. Before introducing these gripping-jaws into the sleeve their free ends are brought toward each other, as illustrated a distance somewhat less than the diameter of the wire, the resilience of the material tending to cause them to return to this position when forced apart. When the coupling device is completed by inserting these gripping-jaws the ends of the sleeve, the that just described in conne t on with the construction shown in a to 7, inclusive, except that it is necessary to slightly taper the ends of the wires, as ted at 1 in order to enable them to enrs, and the jaws take hold 18 soon as they are inserttion there can be no 'aws to properly enlatter have once the jaws tale ,so that vertical 5111C the engaging mom... drafival oi the wire is in an up'war As hereinbeiore stated, l. prefer te struct the sleeves of diil'erent sizes, oi-re spondii'ig with the six of wire ith which they are to be used: but one of the advantages of the con struetion illustrated in 3 is that it can in case of emergency be used with any size of wire smaller than the end apertures of the sleeve.

1 do not wish to be understood as limiting myself strictly to the precise details of construction hereinbefore described, and shown in the accompanying drawings, as it is obvious that these details may be modified without departing from the principles of my invention.

Having thus fully what I claim as new, Letters Patent, is

1. A joint for electric conducting-wires and other wires, comprising an integral sleeve of ductile conducting metal provided described my invention, and desire to secure by with internal gripping devices free to move therein, the ends of said sleeve being swage down to a tapering or conical form and said sleeve being imperforate except for its end openings, which are smaller than the gripping devices and are adapted to receive the ends of the wires to' be united, said gripping devices engaging between the tapering end walls of the sleeve and the alined ends of the wires to hold these latter against outward motion, substantially as described.

' 2. A joint for electric conducting-wires and. other wires, comprising an integra sleeve of ductile conducting metal provided with internal gripping devices free to move therein, said sleeve being imperforate except for its end openings, which are smaller than the gripping devices and are adapted to receive the ends of the wires to be united, said gripping devices engaging between the tapering end walls of the sleeve and the alined ends of the wires to hold these latter against outward motion, said gripping devices consisting of plurality ol l'ree angular be: having sharp engaging edges, suhstanti:in as described.

3. A coupling for the ends of wires com prising an integral sleeve of ductile metal, imperforate except at its ends, having gripping devices in its interior free to move therein, and having its ends swaged to a tapering or conical form, the gripping devices being adapted to engage between the tapering mner end walls of the sleeve and the ends of the wires which are inserted through the end apertures, substantially as described.

4. A coupling for the ends of alined wires, comprising an integral sleeve of metal, imperlorate except at its ends, the end portions of said sleeve being swaged down to a tapering form, and a plurality of angular bodies provided with gripping edges and free to move within said sleeve, the end apertures of the sleeve being of less diameter than said bodies, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affiX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

AUSTIN FLEEGER.

Witnesses:

H. D. GLoss'NEn, H. D. FARNEN.

ductile 

